While not directly sanctioned by the factory, the Ducati 860-E electric motorcycle (e-bike) concept from design house Italdesign is an indication of a possible electric future for the boy from Borgo Panigale. Shown in a short teaser video, the 860-E takes the silhouette of the famed Ducati 860 GT sportsbike of the 70s and translates it into what could be.
A retro round LED headlight
pulls focus to the 860-E with the rest of the e-bike following traditional
motorcycle design language. No futuristic shapes or science fiction looks here,
just a straight forward motorcycle design that happens to utilise electricity
as motive power. From the video, the concept design for the 860-E indicates the
rear wheel will be driven by belt, with the electric motor located amidship and
battery pack occupying the space where a traditional ICE unit would be. The
front end is almost boringly traditional, with upside-down fork, twin disc
brakes and radial-mount brake callipers.
Ducati themselves have not
indicated any interest in pushing the e-bike agenda preferring to confine
electric power to bicycles, though competition such as BMW Motorrad have made
moves towards electric two-wheelers including the recent launch of the BMW
Motorrad CE-04. Other rivals in the full-size e-bike segment include Zero
Motorcycles from the US and Italian firm Energica having recently established a
presence in Singapore.
